This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

(upbeat music) Welcome to week three, day four of our look through the book of
Psalms, Psalm 14 today. And I want to focus in on the first verse of Psalm 14.
Psalm 14, one says, "The fool says in his heart, "there is no God.

" This is a Psalm about the foolishness of saying there is no God, the one who
created everything, the one who holds everything together by the power of his
hand. Romans 1-22 says, "Although they claimed to be wise, "they became fools. "
When does that happen?

When we pretend that there's no God. When we think that we're so smart, we can
figure everything out. When we think that we're so powerful that we can make
everything happen.

It's foolish when you think about how the world runs. Obviously, somebody made
everything, and obviously somebody besides us is running everything. We don't
have the wisdom, we don't have the strength.

When you say there is no God in your heart, what starts in a heart is seen in a
life. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile. There's no one who does good,
Psalm 14 says.

No God in your heart leads to a corruption of heart and mind leads to vile deeds
in your life. Now, those vile deeds may be very obviously vile deeds. I've seen
that in some people who say there's no God.

They also might be the vile deeds of just trusting in myself, believing only in
myself. The vile deed of leading people down the path of thinking that somehow
all we need is ourselves. And leading them away from the truth of God's love.

Now, these verses that we're looking at, the fool says in their heart there is
no God. We could apply this to atheists and feel really good about ourselves.
We're not like that, we don't believe that.

But instead, what about those times when you and I are practical atheists? When
we foolishly act as if there's no God? When we have to admit that we've been
fools?

I'm going to give you a list of eight ways that you and I can be practical atheists
as we look at this verse today. Applying it to ourselves instead of applying it
to someone else. Being a practical atheist means that although you believe in
God in your heart, you may have followed him for many, many years, you're not
living like it.

You're not acting like it. Now, I have to admit as I go through this list of
eight as I begin it, that I've been a fool in almost every one of these ways. So
the question isn't whether or not you've been a fool, but am I going to be a fool
today?

Or am I going to live by faith today? Am I going to depend on my wisdom today or on
God's wisdom? My strength or God's strength?

So here's the list of eight. I warn you, it might be painful, but at the end
we're going to talk about the remedy, which I think can be beautiful. First way
that we are practical atheists is we continue to sin as though there will be no
consequences.

We know God said not to do it, but we just keep doing it. And we know we'll be
forgiven. We are forgiven because of the cross of Christ.

It's not an issue of whether we'll be in heaven or not. It's an issue of how am
I going to live my life? Am I going to let this keep being in my life?

And a practical atheist just continues to sin as though there's no consequences.
No one else may see the consequences, by the way. You might be able to fool
yourself to think that.

It might even be true. But I'm telling you, there's consequences in your own
heart. There's consequences in your own mind.

Sin splits the soul. A second way we're practical atheists is we seek first our
goals and our plans. When you seek first what you want instead of what God
wants, when you say to yourself, well, God, I'm going to get this done first and
then I'll do what you want.

You know, I gotta make this. I gotta accomplish this. And maybe even do it in
ways that you know are not godly ways.

That's being a practical atheist. Number three, I find comfort in my
entertainments and hobbies instead of in the Lord. Entertainment is meant to
entertain.

And hobbies are meant to divert us and to be a relaxation. But when I try to
find comfort, spiritual comfort in those entertainments or those hobbies, that's
being a practical atheist. Number four, I depend only on myself to get it done.

Whether it's some small project or the biggest thing in your life, I depend only
on myself to get it done. Now you know that's true when you do it without
prayer. If whatever you're doing, you're doing without praying about it, then
you're depending only on yourself to get it done.

'Cause you're not talking to God about it. You're not visibly trusting Him. And
I can't tell you how many times I've been a fool in not taking the time to talk
to God about what I'm doing, even if it's for Him.

Number five, I put my hope in people or things. I feel that I'm secure because
of the house that I'm in or the neighborhood that I live in. Or I'm excited
about the future because of the boss that I have or the company that I work for.

I put my hope in people or things. Number six, the sixth way we can be a
practical atheist is to let worry continue to consume your thoughts. We all face
worry.

The Bible understands that. But what do you do with the worry? That's the
question.

And when you continue to let it consume your thoughts through the night, through
the day, the Bible says that's being a practical atheist. Number seven, you go
for days, maybe weeks, without reading the Bible. You're living life based on
your information other than God's direction.

And then the eighth way we can be a practical atheist is to become so concerned
about ourselves that we don't have time to love others. When you become so
concerned about yourself, your world, what you gotta get done, that you don't
have time to love others, you don't have time to follow Jesus' command, love one
another, then you're being a practical atheist. Now, I don't want to be a fool.

I want to be wise with spiritual wisdom. And I know that's true of you too. You
don't want to be a fool.

You want to be wise. So let's end by being wise together right now, by doing the
opposite of all these eight things right now. Repent of your sin.

You know the word repent means to turn around, to make a U-turn, to head in a
different direction. So I'm not just saying ask God to forgive that sin you've
continued to allow in your life, but repent of that sin. Say, God, my desire is
to turn around and head in an opposite direction.

And I may struggle in doing that, but I'm going to live in that place of repentance
from now on. Second, decide to seek first God's kingdom today. Not your kingdom,
God's kingdom.

God, I'm going to put what you want first. And I'm going to depend on you to
accomplish all that I want that's in your will as I put what you want first.
Third, today, find comfort in God's spirit, in God's word, in God's love.

Let his spirit comfort you right now. Number four, this is one you can do right
now, pray right now about what you're looking to get done. Just a quick prayer
to God.

God, I haven't talked to you about this. I'm talking to you about it now. I need
your strength for this.

Number five, put your hope in God alone. Your hope is not in anything or in any
person. That thing might get taken away.

That person might get taken away. Your hope is not in them or not in it. Your
hope is in God.

And yes, you will grieve if you go through loss, but God will continue to give
you hope even in the midst of your grief. We don't grieve as those who have no
hope. We have hope.

So put your hope in God alone. Number six, give your worries to God right now
and ask for his peace. You might need to do this a dozen times today.

God, here's the worry. Would you accomplish your promise in my life that as I
give my worries to you, that you guard my heart with a peace that passes
understanding? Number seven, this is going to be an easy one.

Spend some time today in God's word. It's easy because you're doing that right
now. You've made the choice to do that right now.

And then number eight, today, love your neighbor as you love yourself. Don't put
yourself first no matter how busy you are, no matter how important it might seem
that you have to get it done. When you stop loving, really, you stop living.

So love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love the Lord with your heart, mind,
soul, and strength today. Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for, in your word, putting your finger on the things that we
struggle with. But thank you also for showing us the way out, the way of
repentance, the way of seeking first your kingdom, the way of finding comfort
from the comforter, your Holy Spirit, the way out of worry by praying, the way
out of despair by hoping in you. Thank you for showing us again and again the
way out.

Help us to choose your way today. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Tomorrow,
we're going to look at Psalm 15, a psalm about what it takes to live close to God.